The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-11-24
PRINTED TARIFFS A BLIND.

The chairman questioned the witness for
half an hour respecting the printed tariff
sheet issued by the witness, giving among
other information rates upon oil.
The witness admitted that the actual oil
rates were not those given on the sheet, but
were special rates issued from time to time
and posted in the station houses.
The purpose of the chairman was to as
certain how a shipper could learn from the
companys publications what were the
actual rates upon Oil
The witness replied at great length but
failed to make the matter clear to any one.
The chairman finally advised the witness
to take counsel with the attorney of his road
as to whether h. was complying with the
fifth section of the interstate commerce law
respecting the publication of rates and the
filing of copies with the commission.
THE TANKS OWNED BY THE RoAU
The witness promised, effusively, that the
matter should receive his earliest attention
when he got home 1t was developed that
the witness road owned the forty six
cars upon which the Standard OIL Com
pany had placed tanks. These cars were
not open for the use of any other
than the Standard Oil Company
II was furthel' developed that since April
;, the witness had refused to give Mr.. Rice
Cthe.complainant) any rates upon oil from
Louisville to Nashville, and Louisville to
Montgomery, despite repeated applications
by letter; but had invariably referred Mr..
Rice to the agent of q connecting line at
Cincinnati, and had at times accompanied
this reference with some rather fOrcible eX-
pressions of opinion
CAUGHT IN HIS OWN TRAP.
Following this the witness said, in reply
to sn inquiry, that the rates had never been
81 80 per barrel upon oil from Cincinnati to
a letter from Brent Arnold, Cincinnati
agent, to whom the witness re-
ferred M Rice, which letter, dated
May II, quoted rates from Cincinnati
TO Louisville at 81 30, and another of SINH
lar purport dated Sept. l. The witness
thought the first mistake, but on the pro-
duction of the second ne assumed that the
rate quoted was based upon the local rate
Of 40c from Cincinnati TO Louisville and
the balance from Louisville to Nashville.
The rates given the Standard Oil Company
were 25c a hundred pounds, a barrel being
reckoned at 375 pounds.
A REMARKABLE DISCREPANCY.
The afternoon session of the commission
was consumed in the examination Of H.
Colebran, General Freight Agent of the
Cincinnati New Orleans and Texas Pacific
railway. The gist of the direct eXamina-
tion was embodied in a query by Commits
SlOner walker, VINO, calllng aUueHtlon 10
the witness admission that the rates upon
oil per 100 pounds were 56c. in barrels and
25c when carried in tanks - reckoning
$1,000 pounds to the tank car -
asked if the wit$ss wished to offer any
parity.
The witness replied in the negative-noth-
ing beyond what he had already said in
justification of lower rates upon tank oil.
The Commissioner asked II the disparity
would not be still greater when, as usual,
the tank car held more than "a 900 pounds,
to which the witness replied in the atfirma-
4 tive.
OPEN TO ALL
The witness averred that tank and barrel
& rates were open alike to Mr.. Rice, the
Il Standard Oil Company and all other ship
peIs He, however, admitted as a matter OF
fact that the tank rates were only made be-
tween points where the Standard Oil Com
pany had their stationary tanks, because
not called for elsewhere.
Il On crossexamination by the attorneys oi
j the witness road, the fact was brought out
that three tank cars of oil had been hauled
by the company for other shippers than the
n Standard Oil Company, two Of them being
# for fbo